Effect of moisture on dental enamel in the interaction of two orthodontic bonding systems

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to assess by means of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) the remaining adhesive interface after debonding orthodontic attachments bonded to bovine teeth with the use of hydrophilic and hydrophobic primers under different dental substrate moisture conditions. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Twenty mandibular incisors were divided into four groups (n=5). In Group I, bracket bonding was performed with Transbond MIP hydrophilic primer and Transbond XT adhesive paste applied to moist substrate, and in Group II a bonding system comprising Transbond XT hydrophobic primer and adhesive paste was applied to moist substrate. Brackets were bonded to the specimens in Groups III and IV using the same adhesive systems, but on dry dental enamel. The images were qualitatively assessed by SEM. RESULTS: The absence of moisture in etched enamel enabled better interaction between bonding materials and the adamantine structure. The hydrophobic primer achieved the worst micromechanical interlocking results when applied to a moist dental structure, whereas the hydrophilic system proved versatile, yielding acceptable results in moist conditions and excellent interaction in the absence of contamination. CONCLUSION: The authors assert that the best condition for the application of primers to dental enamel occurs in the absence of moisture.

Integrable deformations of strings on symmetric spaces

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

A new deformation of W-infinity and applications to the two-loop WZNW and conformal affine Toda models

We construct a centerless W-infinity type of algebra in terms of a generator of a centerless Virasoro algebra and an abelian spin 1 current. This algebra conventionally emerges in the study of pseudo-differential operators on a circle or alternatively within KP hierarchy with Watanabe's bracket. Construction used here is based on a spherical deformation of the algebra W ∞ of area preserving diffeomorphisms of a 2-manifold. We show that this deformation technique applies to the two-loop WZNW and conformal affine Toda models, establishing henceforth W ∞ invariance of these models.

Fios ortodônticos superelásticos e sua aplicabilidade na clínica ortodôntica: revisão da literatura

During clinical routine, the orthodontist uses several materials, which include metallic alloys in the form of metallic wires. However, it is necessary that the professional has some knowledge of the properties of those wires. Different types of wires are commercially available: stainless steel wires, chrome-cobalt wires, nickel-titanium wires and beta-titanium wires. Among the nickel-titanium wires, there are three subdivisions: a conventional alloy and two superelastic alloys. The superelasticity, associated to the effect of form memory, is a property used in orthodontics to initiate the dental movement in the first phase of the orthodontic treatment. This property is considered to be biologically compatible with the effective dental movement. These wires are available at the market in different transformation temperatures, and they offer the best adaptation in the groove of the bracket, simplicity and a faster treatment. However, they present little formability, and they don’t accept solder. They are also more onerous than other wires. Moreover, the low rigidity of these wires doesn’t allow them to be used for the retraction of the anterior teeth or closing of spaces. Therefore, the coherent use of superelastic orthodontic wires is recommended, accompanied by a detailed diagnosis and planning, so the result will be an efficient orthodontic correction, accomplished in a shorter period of time.

Indicadores antropométricos do estado nutricional entre idosas praticantes e não praticantes de exercício físico na zona norte de São José do Rio Preto-SP

Although the regular practice of physical exercise for the maintenance of the nutritional state and quality of life is important, it is not a common habit among the elderly, especially those of the lower income social bracket. The objective was to characterize and compare according to social-economic conditions and anthropometric indexes of the nutritional state of the elderly who regularly practice and those who do not practice exercises, offered at no cost, in the Northern zone of São José do Rio Preto-SP. In this study, 110 elderly women participated, of which 60 (group P) exercised regularly and 50 did not (group NP). Group P participated in a special gym program, free of charge, for at least 2 years, 2 to 3 times a week, one hour a day. Group NP was recruited from the same location as Group P. The comparison between the groups of elderly women was proportionately distributed according to marital status, level of education, means of locomotion, results of body mass index (IMC), waist to hip ratio (RCQ) and calf circumference, using the chi-square test. Comparisons were also made of average age, per capita family income, individual income, IMC, arm and triceps skin fold measured by t-Test. Differences were not found in all the comparisons made. The variables that stood out were the IMC (overweight) and RCQ (risk of chronic diseases) results, which were above what was expected, and the high frequency of walking and riding buses for both groups of elderly women (about 60%). We came to the conclusion that the low-intensity exercise program evaluated made no difference in the nutritional profi le of the elderly who also used walking as a means of getting around.

Atendimentos decorrentes de queimaduras em serviços públicos de emergência no Brasil, 2009

O objetivo foi analisar os atendimentos por queimaduras em serviços de emergência, e fatores associados. Estudo transversal de 761 atendimentos coletados pelo Sistema de Vigilância de Violências e Acidentes em 2009. A maioria foi do sexo masculino (58,6%); adultos de 30 a 49 anos (23,1%) e crianças de 0 a 9 anos (23%). A residência foi o local de ocorrência mais frequente (62,1%), especialmente para crianças e mulheres; em seguida comércio, serviços, indústria e construção (19,1%), especialmente entre homens de 20 a 49 anos. Queimaduras no trabalho foram 29,1% do total. Uso de álcool chegou a 5,1%. Agentes causadores em todas as idades: substância quente (43,6%) e fogo/chama (24,2%); na faixa produtiva: substâncias químicas. As queimaduras entre 0 e 14 anos foram associadas com residência, substância e objeto quente e internação hospitalar; entre os de 15 a 49 anos associaram-se com fogo/chama e choque elétrico, via pública e alta da emergência. Estratégias de prevenção para crianças e trabalhadores devem ser implantadas.

Meningococcal disease in the Sorocaba region, Sao Paulo State, Brazil, 1999-2008

The objective of this study was to describe the occurrence of meningococcal disease reported to the Regional Health Department in Sorocaba, Sao Paulo State, Brazil, from 1999 to 2008. Annual incidence of the disease was two cases per 100,000 inhabitants, with an increase from 2006 to 2008. Annual incidence rates were highest in the 0 to 4 year age bracket. Case-fatality was 21.8%, higher in the 0 to 4 year age bracket (26.4%), which also showed the highest incidence of the disease, and in the over 30-year age bracket (28%). Diagnosis was confirmed by laboratory test in 71% of cases (culture in 45.3%) and by clinical and epidemiological criteria in 22%. Serological groups were B in 45.7%, C in 47.3%, W135 in 3.7%, and Y in 1.5% of the identified cases, with a predominance of B from 1999 to 2003 and C from 2004 to 2008. The most frequent phenotypes were B:4, 7:P1.19,15 and C:23:P1.14-6. The results emphasize the need for regional surveillance of trends in the disease for early detection of outbreaks and monitoring circulating strains.

Late entry into HIV care: lessons from Brazil, 2003 to 2006

Background: To ascertain the population rates and proportion of late entry into HIV care, as well as to determine whether such late entry correlates with individual and contextual factors. Methods: Data for the 2003-2006 period in Brazil were obtained from public health records. A case of late entry into HIV care was defined as one in which HIV infection was diagnosed at death, one in which HIV infection was diagnosed after the condition of the patient had already been aggravated by AIDS-related diseases, or one in which the CD4(+) T-cell count was <= 200 cells/mm(3) at the time of diagnosis. We also considered extended and stricter sets of criteria (in which the final criterion was <= 350 cells/mm(3) and <= 100 cells/mm(3), respectively). The estimated risk ratio was used in assessing the effects of correlates, and the population rates (per 100,000 population) were calculated on an annual basis. Results: Records of 115,369 HIV-infected adults were retrieved, and 43.6% (50,358) met the standard criteria for late entry into care. Diagnosis at death accounted for 29% (14,457) of these cases. Late entry into HIV care (standard criterion) was associated with certain individual factors (sex, age, and transmission category) and contextual factors (region with less economic development/increasing incidence of AIDS, lower local HIV testing rate, and smaller municipal population). Use of the extended criteria increased the proportion of late entry by 34% but did not substantially alter the correlations analyzed. The overall population rate of late entry was 9.9/100,000 population, specific rates being highest for individuals in the 30-59 year age bracket, for men, and for individuals living in regions with greater economic development/higher HIV testing rates, collectively accounting for more than half of the cases observed. Conclusions: Although the high proportion of late entry might contribute to spreading the AIDS epidemic in less developed regions, most cases occurred in large cities, with broader availability of HIV testing, and in economically developed regions.

Influence of adenotonsillectomy on hard palate dimensions

Objective: To evaluate hard palate width and height in mouth-breathing children pre- and post-adenotonsillectomy. Methods: We evaluated 44 children in the 3-6 year age bracket, using dental study casts in order to determine palatal height, intercanine width, and intermolar width. The children were divided into two groups: nasal breathing (n = 15) and mouth breathing (n = 29). The children in the latter group underwent adenotonsillectomy. The study casts were obtained prior to adenotonsillectomy, designated time point 1(11), at 13 months after adenotonsillectomy (T2), and at 28 months after adenotonsillectomy (13). Similar periods of observation were obtained for nasal breathing children. Results: At T1, there was a significantly lower intercanine width in mouth breathing children; intermolar width and palate height were similar between groups. After surgery, there was a significant increase in all the analyzed parameters in both groups, probably due to facial growth. Instead, the increase in intercanine width was substantially more prominent in mouth breathing children than in nasal breathing children, and the former difference failed in significance after the procedure. Conclusions: There were no significant differences between the nasal-breathing and mouth-breathing children in terms of intermolar width and palatal height prior to or after tonsillectomy. Although intercanine width was initially narrower in the mouth-breathing children, it showed normalization after the surgical procedure. These results confirm that the restoration of nasal breathing is central to proper occlusal development. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Clinical evaluation of the failure rates of metallic brackets

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to evaluate in vivo the bonding of metallic orthodontic brackets with different adhesive systems. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Twenty patients (10.5-15.1 years old) who had sought corrective orthodontic treatment at a University Orthodontic Clinic were evaluated. Brackets were bonded from the right second premolar to the left second premolar in the upper and lower arches using: Orthodontic Concise, conventional Transbond XT, Transbond XT without primer, and Transbond XT associated with Transbond Plus Self-etching Primer (TPSEP). The 4 adhesive systems were used in all patients using a split-mouth design; each adhesive system was used in one quadrant of each dental arch, so that each group of 5 patients received the same bonding sequence. Initial archwires were inserted 1 week after bracket bonding. The number of bracket failures for each adhesive system was quantified over a 6-month period. RESULTS: The number of debonded brackets was: 8- Orthodontic Concise, 2- conventional Transbond XT, 9- Transbond XT without primer, and 1- Transbond XT + TPSEP. By using the Kaplan-Meier methods, statistically significant differences were found between the materials (p=0.0198), and the Logrank test identified these differences. Conventional Transbond XT and Transbond XT + TPSEP adhesive systems were statistically superior to Orthodontic Concise and Transbond XT without primer (p<0.05). There was no statistically significant difference between the dental arches (upper and lower), between the dental arch sides (right and left), and among the quadrants. CONCLUSIONS: The largest number of bracket failures occurred with Orthodontic Concise and Transbond XT without primer systems and few bracket failures occurred with conventional Transbond XT and Transbond XT+TPSEP. More bracket failures were observed in the posterior region compared with the anterior region.

Comparative study of classic friction among different archwire ligation systems

OBJECTIVE: To describe and compare three alternative methods for controlling classical friction: Self-ligating brackets (SLB), special brackets (SB) and special elastomeric ligatures (SEB). METHODS: The study compared Damon MX, Smart Clip, In-Ovation and Easy Clip self-ligating bracket systems, the special Synergy brackets and Morelli's twin bracket with special 8-shaped elastomeric ligatures. New and used Morelli brackets with new and used elastomeric ligatures were used as control. All brackets had 0.022 x 0.028-in slots. 0.014-in nickel-titanium and stainless steel 0.019 x 0.025-in wires were tied to first premolar steel brackets using each archwire ligation method and pulled by an Instron machine at a speed of 0.5 mm/minute. Prior to the mechanical tests the absence of binding in the device was ruled out. Statistical analysis consisted of the Kruskal-Wallis test and multiple non-parametric analyses at a 1% significance level. RESULTS: When a 0.014-in archwire was employed, all ligation methods exhibited classical friction forces close to zero, except Morelli brackets with new and old elastomeric ligatures, which displayed 64 and 44 centiNewtons, respectively. When a 0.019 x 0.025-in archwire was employed, all ligation methods exhibited values close to zero, except the In-Ovation brackets, which yielded 45 cN, and the Morelli brackets with new and old elastomeric ligatures, which displayed 82 and 49 centiNewtons, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Damon MX, Easy Clip, Smart Clip, Synergy bracket systems and 8-shaped ligatures proved to be equally effective alternatives for controlling classical friction using 0.014-in nickel-titanium archwires and 0.019 x 0.025-in steel archwires, while the In-Ovation was efficient with 0.014-in archwires but with 0.019 x 0.025-in archwires it exhibited friction that was similar to conventional brackets with used elastomeric ligatures.

Knots and links in lens spaces

The aim of this dissertation is to improve the knowledge of knots and links in lens spaces. If the lens space L(p,q) is defined as a 3-ball with suitable boundary identifications, then a link in L(p,q) can be represented by a disk diagram, i.e. a regular projection of the link on a disk. In this contest, we obtain a complete finite set of Reidemeister-type moves establishing equivalence, up to ambient isotopy. Moreover, the connections of this new diagram with both grid and band diagrams for links in lens spaces are shown. A Wirtinger-type presentation for the group of the link and a diagrammatic method giving the first homology group are described. A class of twisted Alexander polynomials for links in lens spaces is computed, showing its correlation with Reidemeister torsion. One of the most important geometric invariants of links in lens spaces is the lift in 3-sphere of a link L in L(p,q), that is the counterimage of L under the universal covering of L(p,q). Starting from the disk diagram of the link, we obtain a diagram of the lift in the 3-sphere. Using this construction it is possible to find different knots and links in L(p,q) having equivalent lifts, hence we cannot distinguish different links in lens spaces only from their lift. The two final chapters investigate whether several existing invariants for links in lens spaces are essential, i.e. whether they may assume different values on links with equivalent lift. Namely, we consider the fundamental quandle, the group of the link, the twisted Alexander polynomials, the Kauffman Bracket Skein Module and an HOMFLY-PT-type invariant.

Analisi sperimentale e numerica del comportamento delle connessioni per strutture in XLAM

La tesi ha lo scopo di determinare una correlazione tra lo spostamento laterale e la riduzione di resistenza a trazione per le connessioni di tipo holdown per pareti in legno massiccio XLam. Per raggiungere questo obiettivo è stata condotta un’indagine sperimentale, nella quale sono state eseguite prove cicliche a trazione in controllo di spostamento assiale, con imposizione di uno spostamento a taglio iniziale. Sono state eseguite inoltre prove monotone combinate, caratterizzate da contemporaneo spostamento a taglio e assiale legati da rapporto diverso per ogni tipologia di prova. Si è ricavata una legge di danno che correla lo spostamento laterale alla riduzione di resistenza assiale: per scorrimenti entro 15 mm il danno è contenuto (10%), ma arrivando a 30-45mm la riduzione di resistenza è del 20%. Mettendo insieme invece le monotone ottenute variando il suddetto rapporto di velocità si è definito un dominio di resistenza. La seconda parte verte sulla modellazione numerica in OpenSEES delle connessioni come molle di un materiale isteretico, tarate sulla base delle curve sperimentali cicliche ottenute. Queste sono state poi utilizzate per la modellazione di una parete a molle disaccoppiate, che considera solo la resistenza a trazione per hold-down e a taglio per angolari (sottostima resistenza reale). Una seconda modellazione a molle accoppiate considera la resistenza in entrambe le direzioni: questo sovrastima la resistenza globale reale, poiché non tiene conto della contemporanea applicazione del carico nelle due direzioni. E’ stata quindi applicata la suddetta legge di danno attraverso un procedimento iterativo che in base agli spostamenti laterali riduce la resistenza assiale e riesegue l’analisi con i parametri corretti, per rivalutare spostamenti e resistenze: la progettazione attuale sovradimensiona gli angolari, il collasso della struttura avviene per rottura non bilanciata, con hold-down plasticizzati e angolari in campo elastico (meccanismo di rocking).

Dynamic Web Development with Seaside

Seaside is the open source framework of choice for developing sophisticated and dynamic web applications. Seaside uses the power of objects to master the web. With Seaside web applications is as simple as building desktop applications. Seaside lets you build highly dynamic and interactive web applications. Seaside supports agile development through interactive debugging and unit testing. Seaside is based on Smalltalk, a proven and robust language implemented by different vendors. Seaside is now available for all the major Smalltalk including Pharo, Squeak, GNU Smalltalk, Cincom Smalltalk, GemStone Smalltalk, and VA Smalltalk.

Antiestrogenic and anticancer activities of peptides derived from the active site of alpha-fetoprotein

Cyclo[EKTOVNOGN] (AFPep), a cyclic 9-amino acid peptide derived from the active site of alpha-fetoprotein, has been shown to prevent carcinogen-induced mammary cancer in rats and inhibit the growth of ER+ human breast cancer xenografts in mice. Recently, studies using replica exchange molecular dynamics predicted that the TOVN region of AFPep might form a dynamically stable putative Type I beta-turn, and thus be biologically active without additional amino acids. The studies presented in this paper were performed to determine whether TOVN and other small analogs of AFPep would inhibit estrogen-stimulated cancer growth and exhibit a broad effective-dose range. These peptides contained nine or fewer amino acids, and were designed to bracket or include the putative pharmacophoric region (TOVN) of AFPep. Biological activities of these peptides were evaluated using an immature mouse uterine growth inhibition assay, a T47D breast cancer cell proliferation assay, and an MCF-7 breast cancer xenograft assay. TOVN had very weak antiestrogenic activity in comparison to AFPep's activity, whereas TOVNO had antiestrogenic and anticancer activities similar to AFPep. OVNO, which does not form a putative Type I beta-turn, had virtually no antiestrogenic and anticancer activities. A putative proteolytic cleavage product of AFPep, TOVNOGNEK, significantly inhibited E2-stimulated growth in vivo and in vitro over a wider dose range than AFPep or TOVNO. We conclude that TOVNO has anticancer potential, that TOVNOGNEK is as effective as AFPep in suppressing growth of human breast cancer cells, and that it does so over a broader effective-dose range.